Loom for weaving figured fabrics



No. 7,861. v PAT NTEE DEC. 24, 1850. s. T. THOMAS & E. EVERETT. LOO'MFOR WEAVING PIGURED FABRICS.

' a EHEET-BHEEI 1.

No. 7,861. PATENTED DEC. 24', 1850 S. T. THOMAS & B. EVERETT. LOOM FORW'EAVING PIGURED FABRICS.

s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No 7,861. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1850.

S. T. THOMAS & E. EVERETT. LOOM FOR WBAVING FIGURED FABRICS.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT .1.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

SAML. T. THOMAS, OF LOWELL, AND EDW'ARD EVERETT, OF LAWRENCE,MASSACHUSETTS.

LOOM FOR WEAVING FIGURED FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,861, dated December 24, 1850.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, SAMUEL T. THOMAS, ofLowell, in the county of Middlesex, and EDWARD EVERETT, of Lawrence, inthe county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Looms for \Veaving Figured Fabrics by Means of theJacquard Apparatus; and we do hereby declare that the same is fullydescribed and represented in the following specification andaccompanying drawing, in which, upon Sheet No. 1

Figure I represents an isometrical perspective elevation or View of aloom fitted up with our improvement. Fig. II is a section takentransversely through the pattern prism and the Jacquard apparatus. Fig.IV represents a side view of the slide rod, the frame work whichsupports it,the ratchet gear of the pattern prism,-the draw pawl thereofand the machinery that operates the slide-rod and the pawl.

Our first improvement on the Jacquard loom consists of an arrangementand combination of harness-shafts or bars, as a substitute for theknot-cord, by which arrangement we distribute the many mail cords orheddles of the knot-cord at any required distance apart, anddisconnected from each other, along the length of the horizontal harnessshafts or bars, by which a very material advantage is gained, as we thusproduce a much less angle upon the mail-cords or heddles, thereby givinga more uniform strain upon the warp which renders the loom applicable tobroad work; also, by rendering each mail-cord or heddle independent ofevery other mail-cord and capable of being transferred from any oneharness shaft to any other harness-shaft or bar, the operator is enabledto change the mountings or cording with greater facility than by themode heretofore adopted.

Our second improvement is to be found in the peculiar means or manner ofproducing the rotary movement of the pattern prism.

In Fig. I, of the drawing A denotes the loom frame; B the lay of theloom; C the breast beam, and D the frame of the improved Jacquardapparatus. In the ordinary harness fancy loom the heddles through whichthe threads of the warp are drawn, are connected to a series of harnessshafts, which are arranged near to, and just above and below the threadsof the warp. Such a disposition of these harness shafts,

introduce into a loom such a number of them as may be desirable toemploy in the weaving of certain figured fabrics, the great amount ofroom occupied by the harnessshafts when so disposed, not only preventsthe workman from obtaining free access to the warp threads when abreakage occurs, but also renders it difficult to obtain a necessarymotion of the back harness in order to insure the required amount ofopening or shed of the warp without producing an undue strain upon theWarp that is carried by the back harnesses. In the Jacquard loom theseveral mail-cords or heddles are fastened together at their upper endin a compact bundle or hank, usually termed a knot-,

cord, there being the same number of knotcords as there are needles, ordistinct movements of the warp.

In our improvement we dispense with the use of this knot-cord, and inits stead We employ a series of bars or shafts, as seen at (1 64, Figs.1 and'2, each of these bars being supported by two vertical rods 1) bwhich have hooks on their upper extremities. The said wires 6 Z) passthrough the eyes of a horizontal wire 0, against one end of which thepattern cord of the prism is made to operate in the usual manner. Thelifting frames of the several hook wires are seen at (Z, and the patternprism at e.

The drawings upon Sheet No. 2 are intended to illustrate the posit-ionof the holeboard, mail-cord, harness shaft, and knotcords. Fig. 5 showsthe position of one knot-cord as used in the Jacquard loom, for narrowcloth, and Fig. 8 shows our improvement on the same; both being frontviews. Fig. 6 shows the position of two knot-cords, as used in theJacquard loom for wide cloth, and Fig. 7 shows our improvement on thesame; both being front views. Fig. 9 shows an end view of the harnessshafts, mail. cords and hole-board as improved by us and hereindescribed. The horizontal harness shafts or bars a, a, Figs. 7, 8 and 9on Sheet No. 2 are of such a length as to extend, when desired, over thewhole breadth of the warp or web, and have at nearly equal distancesapart and throughout their whole length. hooks 19or pins or holes somade or affixed as to receive the upper ends of the mail-cords orheddles, which are attached to the hooks, pins or holes by a loop, or inany other convenient manner. By this'arrangement we distribute the manymail cords or heddles of a confined hank or knot-cord 20, at nearlyequal distances apart and disconnected from each other along the lengthof one of the said bars, as seen at 1919.

It will be perceived, by reference to Fig. 6, that the mail-cord 21-20is of greater length than the mail cord 22*20 and that the angle H21-20is much less than the angle H22-20; in consequence of this differencethe motion of the knot-cord 20, when it is raised verticallyby theaction of the Jacquard apparatus, does not lift the mail cords atopposite ends of the hole-board H to the same vertical height withreference to each other; the eyes, with their respective threads ofwarp, do not occupy one horizontal plane, which it is desirable thatthey should do, and which result we attain by the use of the horizontalharness bar with its attached parts as herein described.

When the length of the harness-bar a, a, is equal to the whole, breadthof the web, 1, f (Fig. 6) would take the position 1, E, and the mailcord 2, f, would take the position 2, G, and every one of themail-cords, as seen in a front view, would be perpendicular to thehole-board. Whatever may be the length of the harness-bars all crossingsof the mail-cords or heddles is avoided, (as seen in the front view) inevery style of mounting that may be required. We consider this lastdescribed improvement as essentially important in the weaving of broadgoods, such as shawls, table-cloths, &c. upon power looms; the lateralvibratory motion of the warp being prevented, and the strain upon thethreads of the warp that form the selvege being no greater than in themiddle of the web.

The horizontal harness bars a, a, Fig. 9 being placed side by side andparallel.

with each other, the operator can, at pleasure, transfer the mail-cordsor heddles from one bar to another, so as to produce almost anymounting. required, without materially altering the position of the mailor eye; thus, the mail-cord 3,7 may be placed in the position 3l3, and413 may take the position 4.7; in this manner the looms may be changedfrom one style of goods to another that requires a different mounting ortye, with great despatch and at a trifling expense.

A loop is shown at S, Fig. 7 and 9, so formed at the top of themail-cord as to allow of a slight variation of their length when thechanges last referred to are required. The greatest deviation from avertical line that can be made by any one of the mail-cords, occurs whenthe cord that is attached to the front harness-shaft 7 is applied to theback harness shaft 18. The hole-board or guide-bar H is constructed inthe same manner and occupies the same position as in the common Jacquardloom. The employment of the series of harness bars in connection withtheguide bar H, admits of an increase in the number of the said harnessbars to any extent which may be desirable it being understood that ourimprovement is particularly applicable to broad looms for weavingfigured fabrics, in which a repetition of the figure or pattern occursat short intervals.

The pattern prism bar has its journal supported bytwo horizontal sliderods Z. m. Fig. I, which are simultaneously moved by arms 0, 0, whichextend downward from a horizontal shaft n. The shaft n, is shown in Fig.IV and as having the arm 0, extending from it, and with a crank made toenter an elongated vertical slot p, made in a piece of metal 8,extending upwardfrom the slide-bar Z. The ratchet wheel of the patternprism is seen at t, and its pawl at 'v. The said pawl having a hookedend, when it operates it gives motion to the ratchet wheel and beingjointed at its other end to an arm '0, extending from the rocker shaftn, as seen in the drawings. The said rocker shaft having a reciprocatingrotary motion imparted to it, it will cause the slide bars Z, m, to movelongitudinally back and forth, and so-as to carry the pattern prism withthem. At the same time motion will be imparted to the draw pawl in adirection opposite to that in which the slide rods are moved ;that is tosay whenever the slide rods are drawn backward, the pawl will moveforward, and vice versa. From the same it will be seen that the movementof the hook of the pawl from one tooth of the ratchet wheel to the nextsucceeding tooth, is compounded or made up of the advance movement ofthe pattern prism and its slide rod, and the forward movement of thepawl; consequently the pattern prism moves but half the distance andhalf the velocity that it would were no longitudinal movement given tothe pawl. This not only enables us to operate the loom at a greatervelocity, and produce a greater quantity of cloth in a given time thanwe otherwise could, but it greatly reduces the vibratory motion of thepattern cord, making its action steady and uniform.

We are fully aware of the facilities and advantages resulting from theuse of the Jacquard loom, as heretofore constructed,

and we do not intend to convey the idea that it is to be superseded byour invention, when figures of great size are to be produced, and whichrequire the use of from two hundred to six hundred or more, needles, orknot cords ;-but its great utility begins to be developed at the pointwhere the harness-fancy-loom ceases to be useful, (especially whendriven by power) and it is most available for the purposes hereindescribed when operated with from twenty to eighty needles.

raised or operated upon by one needle or distinct movement, areseparately fastened or attached.

2. We also claim the improvement for producing the rotation of thepattern prism ;the same consisting in combining with the machinery whichadvances the pattern prism other mechanism, which at the same time shallproduce a movement of the draw-pawl in an opposite direction, as

described.

S. T. THOMAS. EDWD. EVERETT. Witnesses:

HARRISON G. BLAISDEN, JOHN P. ROBINSON.

